This invention relates to internal combustion engines having rotary valves. Example of prior patents disclosing such engines include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,628,528 to Blair; 4,036,184 to Guenther; 4,077,382 to Gentile; 4,333,427 to Burillo; 4,342,294 to Hopkins; and 4,381,737 to Turner.
Persons working in the design and development of internal combustion engines of the reciprocating type have long recognized that the design of valve arrangements for admitting fluids to and exhausting fluids from cylinders have presented restraints on the achievement of certain desired operations. In seeking to overcome such restraints, proposals (such as those of the patent disclosures listed above) have been made to adopt a rotary valve arrangement, with the hoped for result of improving fluid flow or control. Such results have not been achieved, largely due to the configurations of valve members selected.
In particular, and as will be apparent to the careful student of the above mentioned disclosures, the flow paths involved in prior arrangements become elongated by the choice of rotary members, and thus control over fluid flows at relatively high engine operating speeds becomes difficult. Further, while the technology of controlling valve timing has been highly developed with regard to conventional reciprocating valves, there has not been an acceptable solution to controlling timing of rotary valves of the types disclosed.